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| It's Been A While.... | | Date Created: Feb 27, 2007, 10:47 PM |
In the few months that have passed since I've posted to this site, quite a few things have happened. Many of which I won't necessarily post about here, but allow me to use this posting to say -- "I'm Back".... I think. I need a place to jot down my extraneous thoughts, and what good's writing them down if no one reads them, so if you are out there and you are reading this, then GREAT. Thanks. It helps to know these are going out there for something.
SOMEONE must be reading because earlier this year there was a huge spike in readership, caused mostly to the fact that this blog page was spotlighted over at "Your Mac Life" a great internet Radio show that has provided me with tons of inspiration over the years. So Thanks, YML for the mention. And if any of you enjoyed reading this then so much you subscribed, and you are finding a bunch of new entries today, THANKS again for stopping by and let me know whatcha think. |
| It Twenty Years Ago Today | | Date Created: Jul 28, 2006, 12:57 AM |
As of this evening, I have completed 20 years of working for my company. I'm not going to go into what it is, or what I do. But I do think that in this day and age of mergers, volatile work places, job-switching, etc, it's an accomplishment of some sort. Twenty Years is a whole lifetime, clearly half of my own. Yet many times I feel as if I were just starting. Back at the beginning.... Before blogs... Before websites...Before home computers.
Yikes. Let me not think that far back. |
| Classmates Makes My Day | | Date Created: Jul 28, 2006, 12:43 AM |
I finally have a few minutes to blog about the service called CLASSMATES, and how it has finally been able to prove useful to me.
I joined Classmates many, many years ago, when I was still learning how to use the internet (remember the AOL years, everybody?). I may have even gotten there by a pure trick of advertising. Since I was an early member, sign up was free, and I posted some contact information in the hopes that I'd hear from some former classmates. There was one in particular who I was dying to hear from. One of my oldest best friends from elementary school, who had joined the Navy after High School, and who I had the pleasure of catching up with at our 10th High School Reunion, so many years ago now. We'd lost touch again, but I had hoped that somehow we'd be able to reach each other via Classmates. I would check periodically to see if he'd joined. I would hope that somehow I'd be alerted if he ever wrote.
Well, last week, I was pleasantly surprised when a note arrived in my old AOL mail. I don't use the AOL software any longer, and was just taking a moment to empty out some old email, when I spotted a note from my dear friend, Les. It seems he had decided to reach out to me that very week, out of sheer coincidence, and he wanted to know more about where I was in life. He updated me on the status of his own life (which sounded spectacular, by the way), and hoped I'd see the letter. Who'd ever think I would. I was able to finally, after all of the years, re-establish contact with him, and I am so thrilled beyond belief. I hope that this time we'll be able to catch up properly and maybe even form a small reunion of our own close friends. After all, we are all reaching that age when...
Anyway, I wanted to share my joy in finding my oldest best pal. There are a couple more people I'm hoping to hear from, and then I can rest assured that we've all made it this far, happy, healthy and full of fond remembrance of our younger years. |
| Revamping | | Date Created: Jul 28, 2006, 12:40 AM |
Well, it's that time of life again. Time to revamp the site in an effort to make things better by the minute. I happen to have been a little bit more fond of this blog software than iLife for Blogging, so I may just return to using it again a little regularly. Not sure why, but it almost feels as if I'm reporting on something when I use this, which fits more in the blog category. Stay tuned for more information soon.
Meanwhile, I'm also revamping the main webpage. Be sure to pop over to
the Newest version of the homepage, just in time to celebrate it's 8th birthday on August 1st. |
| So... what's been going on? | | Date Created: Feb 20, 2006, 07:49 PM |
Well, a lot, really. My website work has been focused on reworking my personal website and adding podcasts and things, so I'm not sure how much longer this particular blog page will last. I prefer its interface for the sake of putting up news, but I am now including a lot of that info elsewhere, so it's unlikely it will continue at this space. Keep your eyes peeled for more info.
If you've got your ears peeled, go on and check out my recent Podcasts over on my page. I have a few shows up, with fun guests and great info. Lots of new ideas in the works.
Have had an awful trouble with my main internet connection over the past couple of weeks, so I can't update anything as frequently as I'd like. But I have an appointment to fix that next week. We shall see.
OK. Busy time again, but keep tuned in! And drop me a note.
My podcasts and revamped personal site can be found at this URL:
http://homepage.mac.com/tonygonzalez |
| Happy Holidays Movie! | | Date Created: Dec 21, 2005, 12:42 AM |
To help lift your spirits during this holiday season, I thought I'd replay a memory from last year. Here's a festive street in Disney World's MGM Studios-- the Osbourne Family Spectacle of Lights. I was blown away by the awsome spectacle last year and made this quick video of the event. I couldn't help but share it with you all. Enjoy...
(CLICK ON PHOTO TO VIEW VIDEO. MAY TAKE A FEW MINUTES TO LOAD)
"Osbourne Family Spectacle of Lights" (©2004 by Tony Gonzalez ) |
Osbourn Family Festival at Disney World 2004 (© by Tony Gonzalez)
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| Winter Movie Season | | Date Created: Dec 11, 2005, 02:21 PM |
I can't believe that I've nearly been able to catch all of the Winter movies I wanted to see this year. Over the past week, I have seen nearly all of the ones I wanted to see. Here's a quick rundown of my thoughts on some of them:
RENT
The film adaptation of the hit stage show finally hits the screen, along with most of the original Broadway cast intact, a rarity amongst stage-to-film transfers. The performers are excellent, particularly newcomer Rosario Dawson, whose sultry performance as Mimi lights up the screen. Though the show has been "tweaked"-with somewhat, it is still presented in a fresh and engaging way that brought tears of joy and sorrow to the audiences I caught this with. I enjoyed the filmmaker's vision of New York City at the end of the Millenium, and was thrilled to see musical numbers staged with such energy and enthusiasm. It's hard to watch this film without thinking about the fact that most of these people have known each other for years and had been through a lot together on stage. While some plot holes and plot points exist (for example, in the opening number, the characters complain that it's freezing in their apartment, yet they find it perfectly suitable to go on the rooftop to sing a ballad minutes later!), I think RENT the movie is a great companion piece to RENT the musical, and am only critical of the fact that producers can never leave a good thing alone. The producers seemed so concerned with pleasing a general audience that would not stand for a total "rock-opera", that they turned a lot of songs into bland dialogue. In my opinion, it should have been left as is. Also, sadly, though the show is about the threat of homelessness, AIDS and relationships, the movie never quite gets the same emotional resonance from these issues that the stage production does. Still, a well done job by all. *** 1/2
HARRY POTTER AND THE GOBLET OF FIRE- IN IMAX
I'm not a reader of the immensely popuar novels from which the exciting movies have sprung, but I have enjoyed looking forward to spending Holiday time at the movies with Harry and company. This latest chapter is even better than the previous ones, and the movie is so visually stimulating and captivating that it's easy to get swept away in the plight of the young Wizard-In-Training and his cohorts, as they escape dragons, drowning, and the trials and tribulations that can accompany harboring magical powers. The cast remains as engaging as ever, and the movie making harkens back to the exciting heyday of the Lucas and Speilberg epics of the 1980's. Great fun. ****
THE CHRONICLES OF NARNIA
I used to joke that if a movie didn't include special effects, animated characters or musical numbers in it, I probably didn't see it, which seems to be true for this latest roundup of films. I'm sorry to say that these are the kinds of movies I enjoy. If I have to plunk down ten bucks to see a movie, I want it to take me somewhere, show me something, or entertain me in a way I like to be entertained. I don't want to see gratuitous killing, maiming or cursing.
I've always been curious about "Narnia", but was never exposed to the story, apart from catching glimpses of a Lion on a PBS TV show. The previews did little to stir up my interest in it, but enthusiasm of fans I knew made me curiouser still. Particularly when it was explained that the story is an allegory of the Christ tale.
With that in mind, I found myself totally enrapt in this sweet tale of a mythical land that can be accessed via a wardrobe closet. It brought back many sweet memories of childhood games and imaginations, and perhaps a game of hide and seek or two. The visuals were stunning, the digital characters astounding, and the story was great enough to sustain it's long viewing time. I thought the movie might be a bit scary for younger types, as I found some of the images a little rough (scary wolves, in particular), but I thought the child performers in the movie were outstanding. And the self-sacrificing sanctimonious Lion was a moving and inspired character. The evil queen sent shivers up the spine. And the land of Narnia seemed like a fascinating place to revisit through the power of the cinema. I'm surprised it took so long to transfer this book into a movie. *** 1/2
KING KONG (WARNING: POSSIBLE SPOILERS)
As mentioned earlier I attended a preview screening of Peter Jackson's latest epic, and since the movie hasn't yet opened, I'm barring myself from saying too much about it. However, since the first reviews have been printed (ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY, for example), I think it's safe to give you a few tidbits. First off, it's clearly a labor of love by the director. It's as if he was given millions of dollars to remake his favorite film, and he went out and did so. Second, it's three and a half hours long. Did we really need to be involved in a three hour movie about KONG? And since it's a family movie, can you really keep the toddlers quiet for that long? Maybe. There are a few really great exciting moments in this film that bring fresh new life to the 60 year old epic about a Monkey and his love. I enjoyed the film. But I also enjoyed the free popcorn and drink I got at the showing. Plan for the day on this one. It's a long one! ***
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| Previews Shmeviews - What's the Big Deal? | | Date Created: Dec 06, 2005, 12:52 AM |
OK, so we got preview tickets for one of the hottest movies this Holiday season... But at what cost?
Well, receiving the invitation meant I was willing to relinquish a bunch of rights, but moreover, we were told we could not bring cellphones, pagers, iPods, or electronic devices of any kind. ANY kind. This was going to be a struggle. Could I do it? And moreover...why?
I understand that the studios are offering us the privelege of seeing something before the general public --- but this is being a bit over-paranoid, in my mind. No iPods? Oh, sorry, I was going to listen to music while I'm watching a big movie like this. No cell phones? Oh, yeah. I was going to call someone during the movie -- but fortunately the only person I'd call was sitting right next to me. What's the big deal? It's not like we're going to find out Kong is the Other Jedi Yoda spoke of in Episode 5. It's bloody KING KONG. Everyone has already seen it. Some have seen it many times. Why all the paranoia??? I know, I know. It's those darned digital downloaders.
Anyway, this 'not being able to carry your phone with you' issue had me worried for a full day or two, as I would be arriving to the screening from a location other than my own home and would need a cell phone in order to get in touch with the person attending the screening with me. I gave up the privilege of carrying my iPod with me for a couple of days. Turns out, at the screening, they held the phones (and electronics) in a bag for you with a check number. Very convenient. Sort of. Rich joked about the fact that they looked like "goodie bags". "Ooh, look! I got a cell phone and an iPod!."
The staff at the theater was very, very nice and accommodating, despite the Metal Detector we had to pass through (twice if you had to use the toilet). And to top it off, we were offered free popcorn and soda!! Now THAT was nice. I just wish the studios would lighten up a bit. But I guess that's the age we live in.
Thank you Universal and Sony/Leows for offering folks like me a chance to see a movie in this way.
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| In Memory of... | | Date Created: Nov 28, 2005, 12:57 AM |
 Shortly after dinner on Thanksgiving Day, I received news that my maternal grandmother had passed away. She had been ill for a few weeks, and her health had taken a turn for the worse that morning. She died merely a week or so before what would have been her 104th birthday. One hundred and four.
I'm thankful for the times in my life that I did get to see her and spend time with her, limited though that may have been, since she lived in Puerto Rico and rarely visited the U.S. I'm thankful that she made it to see so much of her progeny prosper and thrive. We all certainly would not have existed without her, so I am thankful for the fact that she lived here on earth an was able to see so much of what she was responsible for. She was vibrant, witty, fiesty, and quick. And that was at 103. May we all live to be able to celebrate that age with such lucidity and agility.
She once told me the secret to her graceful aging was to eat well and keep the mind occupied. Those simple words allowed her to surving an entire century, and then some.
I was fortunate enough to have been able to meet up with her last year during her final visit to New York, and have posted some additional photos to share with family members in the Member's Only section of this site. Please let me know if you've forgotten the password.
As they'd say in that country, her birth place and final resting place:
"Bendicîon, abuela."
Ramona Medina (Diaz)
12/05/1901 - 11/24/2005
God Bless.
Thank you for giving us life and showing us how to live it.
(Photo to the right was taken in Puerto Rico in 2002, shortly after her 100th birthday) |
| Thankful for... | | Date Created: Nov 28, 2005, 12:32 AM |
This Thanksgiving Day was the first in a long time (if ever) that I spent away from my family, opting instead to spend the weekend with my dearest and her clan, three hours away in Scranton, Pennsylvania. We had a lovely, traditional American Thanksgiving dinner, comparable to what we normally have at home, with one ingredient missing: lasagna.
It's become a running joke amongst our friends about how Latinos serve lasagna at Thanksgiving, since it is not part of the traditional American fair. In fact, when told that I was going to spend Thanksgiving in Scranton, my buddy Mark chimed in with, "Ah!, No lasagna for YOU!". I'm really not sure why my family makes lasagna part of the meal, nor where that tradition started in certain hispanic families. But anyway, Amneris' parents made sure it wasn't missed at all by making some lasagna for me to consume on Friday. I'm thankful her parents are so thoughtful.
Our meal was good, and I was thankful to have been part of this particular family gathering. Grateful to have survived another year, and greatful to be a bit of a part of this family's celebration. |
| Articles in My Life (Total Entries: 44) | | | | | | | - Revamping
Date Created: Jul 28, 2006, 12:43 AM
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | - I'm back!
Date Created: Jun 13, 2005, 08:54 AM
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